reimagined_universefandomcom-20200214-history
Vader's Shroud Cult
Introduction, Overview and Beginning The Vader's Shroud Cult was a Dark Side cult founded by ex-Imperial Inquisitor Wrenis Cradock. During the Battle of Endor, Wrenis was on board the Death Star II, and while the station was collapsing he witnessed Luke Skywalker walking Darth Vader to a hangar trying to escape. Wrenis aided them to the hangar, then fought off stormtroopers who attempted to kill Skywalker. Wrenis then wrapped himself in a Force Cocoon, and survived the explosion of the Death Star at the cost of breaking every bone in his body. He was found by Grand Inquisitor Hex Valar and during Operation Cinder recovered from his injuries. He then resigned from the Imperial Remnant after seeing the results of Operation Cinder. Valar, respecting his fellow inquisitor, allowed him to leave unharmed. Over the next several years, Cradock traveled the galaxy trying to uncover the history of his idol, Darth Vader, including Tatooine, Naboo, Vjun and Coruscant. On Coruscant, he discovered Vader's old Jedi robe. On Mustafar, he learned of the battle between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and how Vader was severely injured and burned. This led to Cradock's formation of the Creed of the Shroud, and the Trial by Fire. Cradock believed the Sith were perfected through Vader, and by following Vader's footsteps, the galaxy would be united by powerful force users of the Dark Side. Cradock subjecting himself to severe burning by walking through magma, and drawing on the Dark Side to keep him alive. Having survived the Trial, he took on the name Darth Scorch, and donning Skywalker's Jedi Robe, he sought out his disciples. Vader's Shroud only had eight official members who went through the Trial by Fire. They were Darth Scorch, (the leader), Darth Ignis and Darth Sepulchrum, (apprentices to Scorch and his left and right hand), Darth Ictum and Darth Tathir, (apprentices to Ignus), Darth Fulgur and Darth Vendu, (apprentices to Darth Sepulchrum), and lastly Darth Plasma, (apprentice to Darth Vendu). Each had their own base of operations across the galaxy, and a unique skill. The principles of Vader's Shroud were as follows: Creed of the Shroud: "Through Fear, I gain Anger. Through Anger, I gain Hatred. Through Hatred, I shall Suffer. Through Suffering I gain Strength. Through Strength, I gain Power. Through Power, I bring Order. Through Order, I bring Peace. Through Peace, the Galaxy will be Liberated." Rule of Succession: "Unto the one who bears the Shroud of Vader shall all authority be given." Rule of the Heir: "Only by Blood of the Queen, or by Trial and Inheritance by Master to Apprentice, shall one be worthy to bear the Shroud." Trial by Fire: "Through passing through the Fires of Mustafar, thou shall become as Vader, purged of weakness, and strengthened by pain. Unto thee be all Power of the Shroud." The Cult held to a fantasy of the House of Vader, where all who were related to Darth Vader would be held in high regard, and would be offered their "rightful place" as the leader and Master of the Shroud. This included all the children of Luke Skywalker and Leia Solo, but Luke was held in the highest respect as he "saved" his father aboard the Death Star. Thus, the Cult fanatically sought after Luke and his sister, being unsuccessful for decades until finally Luke had a vision of a gathering darkness, "led by eight heads". The Gathering Darkness After the fall of Darth Coriakin and the Battle of Rod, Luke began having nightmares. In his dark visions, he would hear his father's mechanical breathing and then say, "Run, Luke! They are coming!" Luke would run, only to stumble and be surrounded by eight shadows, who would all attack him until another unknown Jedi would protect him. He would wake up in a cold sweat, and did so for a week until Retrac Rellek forced him to explain to the New Jedi Council what was going on. Luke began searching the archives of the reconstructed Jedi Temple for any Jedi who might have survived with a connection to his father. Under the classified Imperial Records category, he discovered his father had a secret apprentice, code-named Starkiller. Further research revealed Starkiller to have been a critical player in the founding of the Rebellion and the capture of Vader on Kamino. Luke discovered a forgotten special operation where Imperial Terror Troopers worked with Imperial Guards, Inquisitors and Boba Fett to rescue Darth Vader from Alzoc III and leave the rebel fleet for dead. Luke sent Rey and Finn Storm along with his nephew Anakin Solo to the planet to search for survivors while he hunted for the shadows. Reports began coming to the attention of the Council of new developments in the Byss and Corellian systems. During their revolts, a new faction had seized control of both systems, and was receiving shipments from Hypori. Jedi Caden Ergo was eager to serve the New Republic, and without permission investigated Hypori. There he encountered what he described as, "A Death Trooper trying to look like Darth Vader". Unknown to him this was Darth Plasma, who did not wield a lightsaber but instead had found Captain Phasma's spear, and used this as his primary weapon. He had established a major operation of weapons manufacturing and black market supplies maneuvering when Ergo arrived. Ergo defeated Plasma, and set off a bomb destroying the base after obtaining the shipping schedule, taking the shipment of weapons which was next to arrive. While en route to Byss, Ergo sent an encrypted message to the Council, who in turn notified Luke. Abandoning his research, Luke took off to Byss, only to arrive when Ergo was gone. Ergo had infiltrated the Citadel on the asteroid colony and killed Darth Vendu. In a hologram message, Ergo informed Luke he was going to hunt Darth Fulgur, another Vader imposter, on Corellia. Before he left, Luke received a message from Rey that they had found a battalion of rebel soldiers on Alzoc III, as well as Jedi Master Rahm Kota, Captain Juno Eclipse and Starkiller. While thankful for rescue, they were all furious at being forgotten for all of those years on a barren ice world. After Luke explained to them all how things had transpired over the years during the Galactic Civil War, Operation Cinder, the Thrawn Crisis, the Reborn Conflict, the Disciples of Ragnos Conflict, the War of the First Order, and the Final Sith War, the survivors, though still resenting being left behind, understood why the Rebel Alliance and New Republic had their hands full trying to survive and protect the galaxy. The soldiers were granted honorary discharge and medals of honor. Kota was given a seat on the Council, Juno was promoted to General of the New Republic, and Starkiller, (Galen Marek), joined Luke on Corellia. However, it was too late. Ergo was killed by Darth Fulgur, who was much more powerful than the previous dark lords. Darth Fulgur, recognizing both Skywalker and Marek, revealed to them who he was as well as the entire purpose of Vader's Shroud. He offered to let them join, but they both refused. Fulgur then declared, "You shall both suffer, and when the light fails to heal you, you will see the Dark Side is the only side of the Force worth following. Perhaps then you will understand why we exist." He then proceeded to engage in combat with the two, being slain by Marek in the process. With his dying breath, Fulgur mentioned a "new ruler of the Dune Sea" now occupying Jabba's Palace. With this clue into their next target, the duo left Corellia after announcing the liberation of the planet. Journey to Dromund Kaas Arriving on Tatooine, the two Jedi confronted Death Troopers guarding the Palace. When they reached Jabba's throne room, they discovered Darth Tathir. Surprised, Tathir began dueling the two, believing that if he defeated the son of Vader he would be catapulted to being the apprentice of Scorch himself. He fought them in the empty rancor pit below the Palace, and was killed, this time by Skywalker. Laughing maniacally, Tathir suggested Skywalker wasn't quite as superior to his father as he believed. He then gave the name of Darth Ictum, and pointed them to Geonosis. Luke began to struggle with Tathir's taunts. Marek counseled Luke, and tried to help him understand, "Sometimes the crazies just have to be stopped. There is no other way justice can be served." While Luke appreciated his comfort, he could not shake a dark presence affecting his mind. Arriving on Geonosis, they found the abandoned hangar where Count Dooku dueled with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Yoda during the First Battle of Geonosis at the beginning of the Clone Wars. Darth Ictum welcomed them, and told them of the cult's fascination with Vader, and how he "purified the ways of the old Sith, being more true to the meaning of power than even Valkorion of Dromund Kaas." When they tried to arrest him for questioning, Ictum attacked and slipped off the landing pad to his death after Luke deflected a Force Push. Recovering the fallen Darth, they buried him in the hangar. Contacting Kota back on Coruscant, they were given the ancient coordinates of Dromund Kaas, the ancient capitol of the Sith Empire. When they arrived over the planet, both Jedi remarked on the powerful darkness surrounding the long abandoned planet. "It's as if the ancient Sith still walk among it." They landed outside the ruins of the metropolis and went into the wild forests, discovering a ruined tomb in the side of a mountain. Walking in, they met Darth Sepulchrum. Sepulchrum, being more decorated, was mistaken by Luke to be the master of the cult. Laughing, Sepulchrum informed Skywalker he was mistaken, and stated, "Such a title belongs to you, if you accept it." Skywalker refused, and Sepulchrum offered "Vader's only true apprentice" the position. When Marek too refused Sepulchrum summoned an undead Sith army from the catacombs of the tomb to attack and kill the Jedi. After a long battle, Luke finally struck down Sepulchrum, who told him, "Your destiny is nearly complete, Skywalker. Either you shall take the mantle from my master, or you shall slay us all. Go to Vjun, there you shall find the last of us." The Duel on Vjun Luke was highly disturbed, but Galen focused on the positive, stating, "When we get to Vjun, we can end this and the galaxy will be safe." However, Luke and Marek got into a fiery debate over the meaning of justice, and if execution was really their place as Jedi. Luke crossed a line when he told Marek, "Your sense of justice is just as warped as my father's. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be an orphan, and yet you still believe his lies of revenge being the same thing as justice." Marek, furious, told Luke how he was no better than Marek, as they both had struck down these imposters with hatred for what they represented, the man who had made them both. The two were still ill towards each other when they touched down on Vjun. This was the second time Luke had been on the planet, and he hoped it would be the last. On Vjun, they confronted Darth Ignus in the Chamber of the Dark Lord, where Vader's statue had been repaired. They engaged in an intense battle, resulting in the chamber being destroyed and Ignus being thrown into the hangar adjacent to the chamber. Wounded, he cried out, "My Master is here.", just as Darth Scorch crashed his ship into the hangar, killing Ignus and knocking Marek into the next room. Skywalker, injured, stood up in the wreckage and saw the flames part for Darth Scorch. Luke engaged, but was easily defeated in his weak state. Marek came to his aid, but too was defeated. Both incapacitated, Scorch took them both to Vader's fortress on Mustafar, which he had made his own. The Fall of Vader's Shroud When the two became conscious, Galen Marek was sprawled on the floor of the audience chamber in the center of the tower and Luke was on the top of the same building, with no way down. Scorch entered the chamber, and began to torture Marek, telling him to embrace his destiny as Vader's successor, and to join him to rule the galaxy. He called Skywalker a "failure" and "poor excuse for a son of the House of Vader." Marek argued back with Scorch, saying that while Darth Vader had done horrible things, he saved Luke's life and was redeemed to the light in the end. Scorch only tortured him more furiously, stating, "Did not his own daughter say that a lifetime of evil does not become forgiven through one act of mercy?" While he tortured Marek, Luke heard his friend's cries. Unbeknownst to either of them, Scorch had been planning for Luke to escape and rescue Marek, but he would be too late as Marek would have been subjected to the Trial by Fire, and embrace the Dark Side. This would force Luke to kill Marek, and complete his journey to the Dark Side, resulting in Scorch becoming his right hand and Luke bearing the Shroud of his father. Luke, using the Force, broke the roof under him and crashed into the next floor where an elevator was stationed. There, without a weapon, he defeated the Guardians of the Shroud and proceeded to make his way through the fortress, reaching a training chamber where scorch observed from an balcony. He threw Luke his lightsaber and opened the door for Darth Starkiller to enter the room. Galen was burned and scarred, and began to fight Luke. Throughout their duel, Luke slowly tore down the hatred and darkness Marek had embraced, and turned him back to the light instead of killing him. Outraged, Scorch jumped to the ground and began dueling the Jedi. They fought throughout the fortress until they reached a cliff-side. There, Scorch tossed Luke over the side, and Galen ran to the rescue. However, just as he pulled Luke up to the edge, Scorch killed him. Galen's last words to Luke were, "Tell Juno to name him Luke", before he fell to the fire below. Scorch then declared to Luke that he, as Obi-Wan, had obtained the high ground and there was no hope. Luke proceeded to Force Pull Darth Scorch over the edge, and threw him to the ledge beneath him. Luke climbed up, and watched as Scorch's weight caused the ledge to collapse, and the dark lord fall to the magma river at the bottom of the cliffs. With their leaders defeated, the mercenaries and soldiers who had served Vader's Shroud were rounded up, turned themselves in, or joined other mercenary groups resulting in the end of the Cult and the completion of Vader's legacy.